The Last Lost Scenes
by bonnyblonde
Summary: Picks up exactly where I left off at the end of "The Embrace." Daryl figured that all was forgiven after he got back to the prison, but Carol isn't quite as sure any more. Please review if you like it, I live for feedback! WIP
1. Chapter 1

_This started off as a simple little spot of smut, a follow-up to the very last scene in "The Embrace" (a story you really should read before you read this one, BTW…it will make WAY more sense). However, my beta had planted a little sprout of an idea in my head when she reviewed my final chapter and voila…what I thought would be a 'one-off', excuse the pun, has turned into a new angst-ridden story. Forgive me, Daryl, but Carol has something she needs to get off her chest before you get to 'hit that' again._

_Thanks, RF, for getting this back to me so quickly! And so here we go again while I take my fave characters out of their box once more for my own personal amusement _

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Carol gradually slipped from beneath the weight of Daryl's arms, careful not to disturb his sleep. The fact that he barely stirred as she eased herself around his body confirmed her suspicion that it had been days since he'd had any kind of decent rest at all and that at least for the time being, he felt safe enough to allow himself that luxury.

She paused beside the bunk and gazed down at him, smiling softly at the sweet innocence of his expression and resisting the temptation to kiss his slightly parted lips. Scuffed and dirty, he looked remarkably untouched by everything that was happening around them. If she squinted, she could almost imagine what he might have looked like as a very young child, tucked beneath his covers and blissfully unaware of all the horrors that awaited him down the road.

He had a faint bluish bruise under one eye and bloody scratches on his knuckles, likely souvenirs of whatever had occurred at Woodbury. She'd accidentally overheard some details of what had happened when Daryl had been captured, but had purposely avoided learning more. It was too awful to think, even now, about how close he'd come to dying at the Governor's hands

Her overwhelming relief at his return had ultimately made staying angry at him difficult, especially when she knew that he would likely judge himself far more harshly for his mistakes than she ever could. Apart from losing Sophia, believing that Daryl had taken off into the woods with his brother and had left her behind for good – and without so much as a farewell – was the single most painful experience of her life. And given all she had been through with Ed, that was certainly saying something. But she would only have hurt herself if she'd given up on Daryl: she needed him with every part of her being, loved him with her whole heart. Although it had taken her some time to work up the courage to talk to him again when he'd gotten back, it was impossible to deny the strength of her feelings.

Nor, unfortunately, could she deny the strength of the disgusting stench that clung to him – and now to _her_, since she'd been snuggling against him for the better part of an hour despite the foul odour. Carol wrinkled her nose at the cloying smell of stale blood, decayed flesh, and days-old sweat...it had been hard to miss, even before she'd first come around the corner into her cell, but in the hot, confined space it was quickly becoming more than she could stand.

At least it was an easy enough problem to solve. And while she went to draw and heat the water for an impromptu bath, she'd ask Herschel to stand guard at the foot of the stairs so Daryl could get as much uninterrupted sleep as possible before she returned.

* * *

"Thanks, Maggie...there's no way I could have managed both of these on my own."

Carol's shoulders ached from hauling the heavy pail of hot water all the way from their makeshift kitchen, and she had no idea how she was going to make it more than half-way up the stairs. Clean, threadbare towels and a couple of garbage bags tucked under her arms made it even tougher to manoeuvre the pail up each of the steps.

The younger woman gave her a fragile smile. "I used to have to haul buckets of oats across the pasture when the mares were foaling, so this is nothin'. Glad that I can be of some help. Besides, I wanna try and keep myself busy so I don't have to think too much..."

The weighty sadness in Maggie's voice prompted Carol to set her pail down for a moment so she could look into her eyes. "Glenn will come around, you'll see. Give him some time. You know he loves you."

Maggie's lower lip quivered slightly and her red-rimmed eyes shone with unshed tears. "I don't know what to do. He's so angry, it's like he's blaming me for what happened. That..._bastard_...said if I fought back, he'd hurt Glenn...cut off his hand so he'd be just like Merle. I thought if I did as I was told..."

Carol knew that feeling well. Submitting sometimes meant less pain in the long run. Often, though, it did nothing to curb the violence. "He had all the power, Maggie. Men of that sort, they know how to bend you to their will. Trust me, I know. But decent guys like Glenn...like Rick, Daryl, and your dad...they want to believe that they can always keep those they love safe, and when it doesn't work out that way...oh, honey, he's not blaming you. He just can't get past what he sees as his own failure."

Maggie shrugged and shook her head wistfully before resuming her trek up to the catwalk, and Carol decided it was best to let the matter rest for now. Even if she hadn't been raped by the Governor, she'd been violated and she was going to have to come to terms with her own shame and anguish before she could help Glenn get past his. The Governor was a monster, far worse than any walker they'd ever encountered. Those things attacked purely out of hunger but what the Governor did, he did with a view to causing the most psychological harm possible. Carol wished that they could just leave, flee the prison and take their chances somewhere else, but she didn't think Rick would willingly roll over for anyone.

She hoisted up the metal pail with somewhat shaky arms and stumbled along behind Maggie. There was no knowing what lay ahead for any of them and so she decided that for the next couple of hours, she wouldn't think about any of it. Death, fear, uncertainty... they weren't going anywhere. Surely they could wait for a while; she wanted to have a little time to be grateful that God had delivered Daryl back to her safely.

Maggie paused outside of Carol's cell, waiting until Carol quietly set her burden onto the floor before relinquishing her bucket as well. "Thank you again," Carol murmured quietly, laying a comforting hand briefly on Maggie's upper arm. She'd have hugged her, but she knew that being touched would only make the young woman more uncomfortable, given what had transpired with the Governor.

Glancing over to where Daryl still slept, Maggie smiled sadly and stepped back out of the cell. "Can you tell him...we're sorry we ever made him feel like he had no choice but to leave? He's part of us, part of our family – if we have to have Merle around to keep Daryl happy, we'll make it work somehow."

Carol nodded, squeezing Maggie's hand sympathetically before her friend turned and left. She could only hope for both Maggie and Glenn's sakes that there'd be a little give on either side and that they could find their way back into one another's arms before too much time went by. Daryl had been right when he'd said that those two were stronger together than they'd been on their own. The same could probably be said of any of them; although she had forced herself to carry on after Daryl had vanished, she hadn't felt like a whole person without him.

Using the stool to boost herself up, Carol draped a couple of the drab grey state-issued blankets over the clothesline she'd previously run across the barred gate. Not as private as she would have liked, but the improvised curtains had served well enough over the last couple of weeks. After using a handful of clothespins to keep them in place, she stepped down and knelt beside the bunk, sliding out an old enamel basin and a tin holding the last of her emergency candles from underneath.

The flare of the match lit the small space brightly for a moment as she lit the wick, letting a few teaspoons of wax drip into a tin can she kept as an improvised candleholder. Once the walls of the little room were basking in flickering candlelight , she fished out a small box out of her pocket and smiled to herself as she cracked open the seal.

Once the top was off, Carol closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Soap..._real_ soap, not that caustic, pink crap bottled up in five gallon jugs in the dry goods storage room. Carl had found several packages of it in the tuck shop during his morning scavenging excursion and had given each of the women a single precious bar. It was an unimaginable luxury and Carol could think of no better time to use it.

It was the scent of civilization for her...the only thing better would have been the smell of fresh laundry, hot out of the dryer. If only she had a claw-foot tub and some bubble bath to go with the soap, it would be a moment of sheer perfection.

Carol dumped a few cups of the water into the basin and bent her head low, scooping her hands into the bowl and combing them back over her scalp. Warm liquid trickled down behind her ears and ran along her jawline, and she sighed with happiness at the soothing sensation.

She gathered up more water in her palms and made sure it soaked through from her bangs all the way back to the curls that had grown out just enough to tickle her neck. Her hair wasn't long by any stretch of the imagination, but she had a fair bit more than there had been for years.

When she'd been young, she'd had wavy, chestnut-coloured hair that had fallen halfway down her back – it had been her one vanity and the first thing that had caught the attention of the man she would ultimately marry. In the end, Ed had used it against her in the worst possible way. During yet another fit of rage one night, he'd snatched a hank of her hair in his fist and dragged her down the stairs behind him, letting go only when she lost her footing and tumbled down to the bottom. The doctors had had to shave off every last burnished brown lock at the hospital as they fought to reduce the swelling in her brain from the hematoma she'd received when her head hit the edge of a step.

Carol had kept it close-cropped ever since. She had wanted to be sure that Ed would never be able to hurt her that way again, but even more than that, she took no small pleasure in robbing him of the one thing about her that he'd always admired. It was small as victories went, but she had seized it regardless.

Once the world had fallen apart, keeping it short had simply been a matter of practicality. Easier to keep clean, easier to care for when life was nothing but constant stops and starts. It had taken until now, though, to feel like she might be safe growing it out again. It would be far more silver than brown, true enough, but it would be nice to look a little more feminine…now that such things mattered to her again.

She dipped the soap into the water and rubbed it between her hands until she worked up a thick lather. It wasn't exactly Vidal Sassoon but it still smelled heavenly. She worked it through her hair, scrubbing vigorously until fragrant, bubbly foam clung to her fingers. She rinsed it out and patted it quickly with one of the towels, ruffling the soft strands with her fingers so that it wouldn't dry flat.

Getting to her feet once more, Carol glanced over at Daryl where he lay sprawled out across her narrow mattress, making sure that his breathing was still slow and deep. As she started to slip her arms out of her sleeveless blouse, she paused and actually blushed. Even if he couldn't see her now – even if he'd already seen _everything – _well, a girl should still retain _some_ modesty.

Her cheeks still felt hot when turned her back to him and quickly stripped naked, slipping her stinky clothes into one of the garbage bags she'd brought along. If she got the job over with quickly enough, she could be dressed and out of Daryl's way before he woke up for his turn at the hot water.

She dipped one corner of the towel into her bucket of clean water, soaped it up and hastily scrubbed her face and the back of her neck. After wringing the dirty water back into the basin, she soaked the towel again and tilted her head back as she slowly slid the warm cloth down her throat and across her collarbones. With every stroke, she tried to wash away her weariness, her sadness, her loneliness...all the emotions that had wrapped themselves around her heart during Daryl's absence.

Another squeeze, another dip, and her actions began to take on the feel of a ritual cleansing. Lifting first one arm and then the other above her head as she washed from fingertips to shoulder, Carol nearly moaned in satisfaction as streams of sudsy water ran over her back and chest, spare droplets spattering onto the concrete floor. As the fluid evaporated from her cooling skin, her nipples stiffened and she couldn't resist skimming her fingertips lightly over top of her breasts. Her breath caught in her throat and she shivered as intense need shot through her entire body.

Her eyes flew open and she hugged her arms tightly around herself, standing stock-still as water pooled around her feet. The rush of lust was certainly nothing new but this time it left her feeling strangely uncertain and slightly foolish.

"_That's 'cuz he left you¸"_ interjected a harsh voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like that of her late husband. "_Turned his back and walked away without a word."_

"He came back," she murmured, shaking her head in an attempt to dispel this sudden, disturbing invasion. Carol crouched over to rinse out her towel once again before propping her foot up on the stool so she could wash her leg, determined to get the job done as swiftly as possible while pointedly avoiding that part of her traitorous body that was crying out to be touched.

_"Where the hell else was he gonna go? Woodbury? Do you really think he came back for __**you**__? It was a matter of survival and nothin' else that he slunk back in here with his tail b'tween his legs, I'll tell you what."_

"He told me he loved me," she insisted under her breath as she switched feet and hastily soaped up her other leg from ankle to hip. "He said I was beautiful."

_"Yeah? Well, men say a lotta things while they're gettin' their rocks off, don't they?"_

"Just stop it!" she growled through gritted teeth, throwing the sodden towel to the ground and reaching for a dry one. Daryl was _nothing_ like Ed; he was a good and honourable man. She rapidly patted herself dry while trying to tamp down a growing sense of panic that was causing her heart to race unpleasantly. Clearly the strain of the past couple of days must have caused some kind of mental fatigue or something. She was just exhausted, that was it.

_"Didya believe him when he said he was sorry, when he promised never to hurtcha again? Are you so afraid of being alone that you'll take anything he dishes out and go on making all his excuses for him? Maybe you ain't changed as much as you think."_

Carol grabbed her clean clothes from the top bunk and dressed as quickly as she could, given the fact that she had to tug the material over still-damp skin. What alarmed her more than hearing the increasingly strident voice in her head was that the things it was saying almost sounded true. She_ was_ afraid of being alone, she _did_ want to forgive Daryl for what had happened, no matter how much he had hurt her – and yes, she _had_ provided him a ready-made excuse without ever demanding an explanation.

She had to leave, had to get somewhere she could think. More than doubting Daryl, she was starting to doubt herself and her own judgement. Didn't she have a right to expect better from someone who claimed to love her in a way he'd never loved anyone else? Or should she just be grateful that in the midst of such chaos and despair, at least somebody wanted her?

In her haste to make it out the door, Carol's foot connected with the half-empty bucket of water. It skittered noisily across the hard floor, spewing its contents as it went and causing Daryl to suddenly sit up in bed, wide-eyed and reaching for his crossbow.

"What's wrong? We got company?" The bulging muscles of his arms tensed as he swung his legs over the side of the mattress, ready to take on all comers.

"No, no...I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I just knocked a bucket over. I didn't mean to wake you. I brought water so you can have a bath, I know it's been a while and you probably want to get cleaned up. I'll leave you alone now. You can put your clothes in that bag and bring them down when you're done. I'll get some more water warmed up, get ready to do some laundry; I know you don't have a lot of decent clothes left. I see you've torn your shirt, and there's a hole in your pants, I can probably mend those too..."

She was rambling wildly and it was clear from the bewildered expression on Daryl's face that he knew it too, but her control was slipping and she couldn't seem to help herself.

"What's happened? Are you okay?" he asked, his brow furrowed with concern as he reached for her.

"No! Don't! Please...just don't," Carol cried, shying away from him and fumbling with the blankets hanging over the bars so she could undo the latch on the cell door. There was hurt and confusion on his face as he backed off a step, and she wanted nothing so much in that moment than to reassure him and tell him that everything was going to be fine. But the words stuck in her throat, and in the end she had to turn away from him or risk dissolving into tears.

"I just...I need a few minutes to myself, is all. Bring your clothes down when you're finished and I'll take care of everything. I have to go. I'm sorry."

Not daring to look back, Carol fled the confines of the cell and ran down the stairs, determined to get outside as quickly as she could where there was air to breathe and space to think.

* * *

_Pretty please, review if you liked! The next chapter will follow soon, I promise_


	2. Chapter 2

_Finally, another chapter! Sorry for the delay, this one took longer than I thought. A lot of this is based loosely on a scene I heard was cut from the Season 3 finale; turns out that it fit in just fine with my story!_

_Thank you to everyone who follows, favourites and most importantly, reviews my writing! Hearing from you and knowing you like my story really gives me a boost. You have no idea what those encouraging words mean._

_And of course, thanks again to RF for her beta services. We went through this one twice just to be sure we got it right. Her instincts were spot-on, as always._

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Carol sat cross-legged on the tower's observation platform, staring across the grounds as gloomy navy shadows cast by the setting sun gradually swallowed up the shambling walkers. The daytime song of the cicadas died away as the evening grew cooler, replaced by the rising thrum of crickets and katydids. Even the walkers' moans from outside the fence's perimeter gradually grew quieter as the light began to fade, the hungry dead obviously losing interest in the now-empty prison yard.

She rubbed her arms through her sweater and rested her head against the stockade wall, closing her eyes. During quiet times like this, she could almost pretend that the world hadn't imploded and she was sitting on the balcony of their Buckhead apartment, enjoying a peaceful fall night. Almost, but not quite. The deep ache in her heart kept her too much in the present to allow her any real escape.

Secluding herself at the top of the guard tower had given her a chance to calm down and get a little perspective about what had happened in her cell. While that taunting voice had fallen silent once she was outside, the nagging doubts it had raised remained in her mind.

She loved Daryl; there was no arguing that simple fact. But she'd come too far to allow herself to slip back easily into the same submissive pattern again with _any_ man. She knew Daryl had his reasons for choosing Merle over the group – over _her_ – but that didn't absolve him from the devastating pain he'd caused her. Love definitely had its benefits, but it had its obligations, too. If he didn't already understand that, then it was up to her to set him straight.

Yes, he'd said he was sorry, but it wasn't enough, she knew. She had to be firm in her resolve that she needed and deserved an explanation along with his apology, one she didn't readily supply on his behalf. If they were going to have any kind of future together, they had to get past their dysfunctional histories and between them, make a clean start of it. She wasn't going to be on the receiving end of any more hurt from someone she loved, whether intended or not.

A faint creak from the tower door caught her attention and she instinctively reached for her knife. Even if she was fairly certain who had finally tracked her down, she'd learned over the past year that a false sense of security was a very dangerous thing.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Merle, rather than Daryl, come strolling into view. He leaned back on his elbows against the guardrail, clearly enjoying the fact that he'd caught her off-guard as he gave her that smarmy grin of his.

"Well, well. It's you then, is it?" he said, raking his gaze over her appraisingly. His brows knitted and he frowned slightly, as though she wasn't quite what he was expecting.

She kept her fingers wrapped around the knife's hilt, unwilling to let down her guard. The man had a penchant for brutality; even with only one hand, he had an intimidating presence. She couldn't think of any reason he'd want to hurt her, but she wasn't going to give him the chance, either. He'd gotten the drop on Maggie and Glenn, and both of them had guns trained on him at the time. "What's me?" she asked guardedly.

"The reason my baby brother couldn't get back to this place fast enough," he said grimly, gesturing with his good hand at the prison. "A man turns his back on the last of his kin, I figure there's gotta be pussy in the picture somewhere."

She couldn't begin to guess how he knew there was something between her and Daryl, but she definitely wasn't going there with him. "Daryl didn't turn his back on you," she said, her lip curling in disgust at Merle's vulgarity. "You're here, aren't you? As much as we all wish that wasn't the case."

He chuckled unpleasantly. "Believe you me – the feeling's pretty fuckin' mutual, sweetheart. It ain't like I had any say in the matter, though. Daryl made his choice, picked you over me. He came back here, even knowin' the reception I'd get if I came after him...knowin' that y'all would be only too happy to see ol' Merle take a bullet to the brain before you'd so much as give him the time of day. Least 'ways I understand the 'why' of it now."

"You don't understand anything!" Carol retorted, bristling at his lewd tone. "Whatever happened out there between the two of you had nothing to do with me."

Merle narrowed his eyes at her. "No? Well, somethin's sure as hell changed with him; Daryl ain't the same no more. Used to be he listened to me, did what the hell he was told like he was s'posed to. Now he figures he can point a crossbow at my head, order me around, an' get away with it. Boy basically told me to fuck m'self an' the horse I rode in on before he left me in the woods."

Carol smiled, pleased and proud that Daryl had finally stood up to Merle."Well, that sounds like the man I know. Yeah, I imagine that confidence _does_ seem strange to you. But he became who he is now because he's been treated with kindness and respect by our group. We trust him – rely on him – and he takes that responsibility seriously and lives up to it. That's what family is really about, you know. Or at least it's supposed to be."

"Ain't that sweet?" he hooted derisively. "Y'all are a regular after-school TV special. What a load of shit! He didn't have me to keep him alive, so he followed y'all 'round like an orphan chick 'til you took him in. And he was grateful 'nuff to repay you by doing all your damn dirty work. I'm sure. But at the end of the day, you people are nothin' to him...you're not family, just some strangers he met along the way. I'm his fuckin' _brother!_ Blood should count for somethin'!"

She scrambled to her feet and moved towards him, indignation temporarily overcoming her good sense. "You're right, it should! But tell me, Merle –have you ever made a single sacrifice for his sake? Was there just one moment over the course of your miserable, stinking life when you thought of him before you thought of yourself? If what you say is true – that Daryl left you behind in favour of us – what exactly does that say about _you_? Maybe you need to think about where the real blame lies."

The muscles in his jaw clenched and his remaining hand curled into a tight, white-knuckled fist. "You might wanna tread careful, missy. You don't know half so much 'bout me an' Daryl as you like to pretend."

"I know that he's a better man when you're not around," she shot back, almost regretting her words when she saw a wounded expression flit across Merle's usually stony features. It lasted only a split second before he was smirking smugly once more, acting as if he'd gotten the very reaction he'd hoped for.

"That could be," he said with practiced nonchalance, pushing away from the railing. He casually adjusted the prosthetic on his right arm, flexing his muscles and tightening the straps before he caught her gaze again with cold, glacial blue eyes. "But has it ever occurred to you that with everythin' goin' down 'round here...well, maybe a _better_ man ain't what y'all really need?"

He slowly sidled towards her, forcing her to retreat in order to keep a safe distance between them. "We've survived this long," she said, lifting her chin defiantly as she edged backwards and tightened her grip on her knife. "We'll get through this, too. We don't need you...and more importantly, _Daryl_ doesn't need you."

He clutched at his chest and sucked in an exaggerated breath as though she'd seriously injured him. "Ooo, so _mean!_ Well, you might be doin' the horizontal mambo with my little brother, but he'll eventually quit thinkin' with his dick an' come to his senses. See, I know exactly what the Governor will do to y'all when he finally beats down your front door and I'll be damned if I'll let Daryl die for this sorry-ass group. If I gotta knock him unconscious and drag him outta here in a sack, I'll do it. In time, this place..._you_ people...you'll be nothin' more than a bad memory to him, and it'll just be me an' him against the world."

Rage, sudden and fierce, surged inside her and she stopped abruptly, causing Merle to stumble aside clumsily in order to keep from plowing straight into her. "If you so much as touch him...if you do _anything_ to cause him more pain than he's already endured...I swear to God, I'll cut your fucking throat while you sleep!" Carol hissed, raising her blade and jabbing it menacingly at him. "He's not your property, you selfish prick! He's his own man now!"

Merle's utter disbelief might have been amusing in any other situation, but Carol wasn't much in the mood to laugh. She didn't know what surprised the man more – the fact that she'd threatened his life and meant it, or that she'd actually used profanity – and she didn't much care. The only thing that mattered was that Merle went away from this with a clear understanding of exactly how far she was willing to go to protect Daryl.

It didn't take him long to recover from the shock of what she'd said, and the dangerous glint in his eyes likely should have warned her that she'd pushed him too far. But before she even had time to gasp, he seized her wrist in a vicious grip and slammed her hand hard against the wall behind her. She felt an abrupt flare of intense pain before her fingers went numb and the knife clattered to the cement at her feet.

Merle's nostrils flared and his hot breath washed harshly over Carol's face as he leaned in frighteningly close. "Took me more than a year to find my brother again," he snarled, gritting his teeth and squeezing her wrist until her bones ground together, causing her to whimper. "And yeah, maybe I ain't done right by that boy in the past, but you'd best believe that I'll do whatever it takes now to make sure he comes out alive on the other side of this mess y'all created. No one's gonna get in b'tween us, understand? Not the Governor, not your Sheriff Rick, and sure as hell not _you_, you uppity bitch!"

"You'd better kill me, then," she spat fiercely, tears stinging her eyes as she futilely tried to wrench herself free from his crushing grip, "because as long as I'm alive, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you can't ever hurt him again."

"Bah! What the hell is he to you, anyway!?" he shouted into her face, causing her to flinch before he flung her away suddenly and stalked back towards the guardrail. He turned away from her, his aggravation causing the muscles in his shoulders and neck to bunch into hard, shifting knots. "All y'all! You look at me like I'm some kinda monster when all I ever wanted was to find him! The rest of you, you still got each other, but Daryl's all I got left! What don't you get about that?"

Carol cradled her tender wrist against her chest, wincing as she cautiously ran her fingers over swollen, bruised skin. It didn't feel like he'd actually broken anything, but she was going to be pretty damned sore for a few days. She glared at his back, any shred of sympathy she might have felt for him wiped away by what he'd done to her. "You can't bend him to your will any more, Merle – you shouldn't even try. He's grown too strong for that."

He whipped back around, his face contorted with fury. "Too strong? What a fuckin' joke! Why don't we just call it what it really is, hmm? The boy's whipped, an' I got _you_ to thank for that! Could see it from the second he walked back into the compound. So hot to get back here, an' he practically fell to pieces when he saw that kicked puppy look on yer face. Fuckin' pathetic, I tell you."

"If you so say," she grumbled, wriggling her fingers to keep them from stiffening up too much. Keeping a wary eye on Merle, she slowly squatted down to retrieve her knife, on her guard in case he made another hostile move. True, he'd already proven her weapon all but useless against him, but she felt better having it close at hand anyway.

"Tell me I'm wrong!" he barked, unwilling to relent. "Almost from the second them others drove off, Daryl was moonin' around in the woods, spewin' out a half-dozen lame excuses why we should head for the prison. Thought he'd turned soft or somethin', wantin' a cozy pillow 'neath his head at night and food he didn't hafta shoot 'n skin himself. Shoulda known there was more to it than that."

Although she realized it had been far from Merle's intention to do so, knowing that Daryl had also felt the strain of the distance between them gave Carol some vicarious comfort. At least their time apart hadn't been any easier on him than it had been on her.

"Daryl's reasons for wanting to be here are completely his own," she said with a heavy sigh, both the fresh pain of her wrist and the futility of their argument taking their toll. "I'm not going to fight with you about it any more. But the way I see it, Merle, you have very few options at this point. You can keep on the way you are, pushing buttons and making waves until neither Rick nor Daryl have a choice but to force you out or take you down… and they will. Or you can man up and accept your brother's decision to rejoin our group, and try a little harder to fit in and contribute. That would at least take some of the pressure off Daryl and let him focus on preparing for the Governor's attack. Or you can leave. Spare all of us the effort of putting up with you and your crap, and take your chances out on the road."

"Leave and go where?! Do what? There's no way I could survive on my own anymore!" he hollered, his voice breaking halfway through. If his stricken expression was any indication, what she'd said had finally hit home. Despite her resolute anger, Carol couldn't help but take pity on him.

In that moment, she realized that all of Merle's bluster and aggression stemmed mostly from deep-seated fear. Fear that Governor would rob him of his only family, taking revenge for the way Michonne – and Merle, by extension, since he'd let her survive – had robbed the Governor of his. Fear that the only person he loved would abandon him and force him to deal with the horrors of this new world on his own. And fear that he'd have no place in his brother's life if she was part of it.

"Then do what you have to do," she said, softening her tone slightly. "You managed to be part of Woodbury for a long time. Whether you actually cared about any of those people or not, at least you learned to adapt. It won't be as easy here, especially with Glenn, Maggie, and Michonne around. But Daryl means enough to all of us that we're willing to make the effort – for his sake."

Almost as though he realized he'd slipped up and exposed his vulnerability, Merle's expression quickly reverted to one of haughty disdain. "Yeah? Well, don't do me any favours, okay?" he sneered derisively. "Y'all think yer so much better than me. I'm here for Daryl, nothin' more."

"I'm here for him, too," she reminded him, pointedly tucking the knife Daryl had given her back into the sheath on her belt. She paused a moment before giving Merle a cool look. "He means everything to me."

He'd started back towards the stairs but her statement caused him to stop in his tracks. He smiled wanly at her and shook his head. "Well, I guess that gives us one thing in common, then."

Merle disappeared back around the corner, leaving Carol alone in the pale light of the newly risen moon.

* * *

_Please review if you liked! Ah angst, pure angst...but that just makes what's to come so much sweeter! ;)_


	3. Chapter 3

Once again, I am thrilled and humbled by the reviews I received for the last chapter...thank you SO much for taking the time to send me your feedback! It is very exciting and gratifying to hear from you, and it certainly motivates me to keep going with my story.

Thank you to RF yet again for her beta skills and assistance in getting this tweaked and ready for my readers.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

It was one thing to seek out a bit of distance from everyone else in order to put her thoughts in order, but Carol knew that staying outside after dark on her own with only a blade for protection was just plain idiotic. That was especially true given the fact that her ability to defend herself had just been compromised, thanks to Merle.

In retrospect, she had to admit that shoving a knife in his face might have justified his reaction to a point. Despite the throbbing pain in her wrist, though, she didn't regret her approach. For men like Merle, nothing got their attention quite as effectively as violence and force. Whether what she'd done would deter him from doing something stupid was debatable, but at the very least each of them had gone their separate ways knowing exactly where the other stood. Perhaps it was the best outcome she could hope for.

Carol exited at the base of the tower and snuck furtively through the compound, sticking to the deepest shadows and darkest corners as she made her way back towards the door. It wasn't so much the walkers she feared; so far as she knew, the immediate area was secure. But she had no way of knowing if the Governor's people were still watching the prison and she certainly didn't want to present them with an easy target. There was no room for that kind of complacency anymore; she had only to remember the sudden, warm splattering of Axel's blood across her face the day before to be reminded of that fact.

Poor Axel, she thought sadly, pressing her back against the cold concrete wall and listening carefully for any unusual sounds before making her final run for the steps. Inadvertently or not, he'd saved her twice – first by taking the shot to the head that ended his life, and then by unknowingly providing a shield with his body as bullets flew at them from all directions. He'd been so eager to prove himself to Rick and the others, had finally made progress and been accepted as part of the group, just to be senselessly cut down by the Governor and his thugs. Wrong place, wrong time – a casualty in a fight that wasn't even his.

There had been no funeral for Axel, no marker and no final words said over his remains. The group had suffered too many losses to honour their dead with ceremony anymore. Only T-Dog rested in the little cemetery in the grassy field, his grave one in a row of three that included an empty grave for Lori and one intended for Carol herself. The sheer number of walkers that now wandered the vast yard made giving Axel that final dignity impossible. In the end, Maggie and Carl had driven his body outside the gates and buried him in a peaceful spot a few miles down the road. At least in a small way, he'd finally been granted freedom from the prison's confines; it was the best they could do for him.

She smiled slightly to herself, thinking about how Axel had relentlessly flirted with her. It wasn't something she'd ever taken seriously – after all, it wasn't as though there were a lot of women upon whom he could try to work his charms, especially after she'd warned him to leave Beth alone. But it had been kind of nice to be on the receiving end of his romantic overtures, even if her heart already steadfastly belonged to another.

Carol crept quietly up the steps and tugged at the heavy door. The muscles of her arm protested, though, and a burst of alarm shot through her when it didn't even budge. She frowned and pulled on it again, unable to accept the fact that she'd somehow managed to get herself locked out of a place designed specifically to keep people in. Maybe Merle had triggered the mechanism on his way back in, or maybe she'd done it herself by accident – she hadn't exactly been in a stable state of mind when she'd made her escape.

Regardless, there wasn't much she could do about it now, short of returning to the relative safety of the tower and hoping that eventually someone would notice she wasn't around. The door was far enough away from the cell block that no one would hear if she knocked on it, and she wasn't about to start shouting and risk drawing all sorts unwanted attention to herself.

A metallic jangle behind her caught her by surprise, and she whirled around to see Daryl standing at the foot of the stairs, holding the cumbersome ring of master keys in one hand and balancing his crossbow over a shoulder with the other. "Sorry," he said gruffly, "didn't mean to scare you. Force of habit to lock the door behind me."

"What're you doing out here?" she said, slowly descending the stairs towards him while tugging down her sweater sleeve to cover her bruised wrist. If Daryl found out that his brother had hurt her, she knew what the outcome would be. And as much as she disliked Merle, she refused to be the cause of any further conflict between them, especially since she'd admittedly provoked him first. Of course, if Merle tried to do what he'd threatened to do, then all bets were off. But until that happened, she would do whatever she could to spare Daryl further misery when it came to his volatile sibling.

"Came lookin' for you. Shouldn't have had to, though. Thought you an' me had an understandin' about runnin' off without tellin' folks where you were goin'," he reminded her, seemingly reluctant to meet her eyes despite his joking tone.

She smile wryly at irony of his statement but let it slide, deciding it was better to keep that unhappy thought to herself. The discussion was going to be difficult enough as it was without putting him on the defensive right away. "There's a lot I had to think over and I needed to be alone to do that. I'm sorry if I worried you. You're right, it wasn't very smart."

"Maybe you should go back inside. It's startin' to get cold. I'll find somewhere else to bunk down...you can have the cell to yerself again, if you want," he suggested resignedly, fiddling nervously with the keys until she reached out and laid a hand on top of his to stop him.

"No...that's _not_ what I want. But I'm not ready to go back in quite yet, either. Let's just sit here, okay? We have to talk."

He nodded grimly and clipped the keys onto his belt before setting his crossbow on the landing behind them. Just as she had days earlier, Carol sat on the narrow step and pulled him down beside her. With her thigh pressed against his, she could feel how tense his muscles were, but she wasn't going to let him off the hook just because she knew he was stressed out by the uncertainty of their situation.

"Daryl, I know _why_ you left like you did. I told you already, I get it – I really do." She picked uneasily at the unravelling strands of wool on her sleeve with her fingers, carefully trying to choose what to say even as her voice started to waver with emotion. "What I need to hear from you now...before we can go any further...is _how."_

"How?" he asked, his eyebrows bunching in confusion as he turned to finally meet her gaze.

Renewed sorrow welled up inside and threatened to choke off her words, but she was determined to keep her tears at bay. She'd cried enough for a lifetime already. "How...as in, how could you do that to me? How, after we'd been together like we were, after you told me that you loved me…_how_ could you just leave me like that?"

He sighed heavily and rubbed at his face. "I felt …cornered. Had everyone upset 'n yellin' at me. Here I'd figured Merle for dead all this time, and just when I found out he wasn't, they try and make me walk away from him. It was Atlanta all over again." He pressed his lips into a thin, angry line, the memory clearly upsetting him. "They wouldn't even give me a damn minute to try n' figure things out. Pissed me right off, askin' me to let my brother either starve or get eaten, and after all that talk 'bout me bein' part of the _family_."

"You're still telling me _why_," Carol whispered softly. His distress tore at her heartstrings but she refused to budge, as painful as it was to watch him reliving the moment.

Daryl's shoulders slumped and he hung his head. "I told m'self that you'd be okay, that you had the rest of the group and you'd be just fine in the end. It was a fuckin' lie, though. Every step I took away from the prison, the more it hurt – bad 'nuff that it was like bein' gutted, torn apart from the inside out. Worse yet, I knew that you'd be feelin' the same way an' I hated m'self for it."

He got to his feet and walked a few paces away from her, running his fingers distractedly through his straggly hair. "I didn't think I had a choice, Carol, not after the others told me he couldn"t come back with us. But after a few hours – after we'd got into some stuff with a bunch of walkers – it hit me that not once in our lives did Merle ever feel like he had to make a tough decision. Never did he hafta give up somethin' for me or anyone else, for that matter. Ever since I can remember, it was always easier to just cave in and let him have his way. And I allowed him get away with that shit, y'know? All these years, and I was too damned grateful to have someone who gave a fuck 'bout me to question it."

"I know that feeling," she confessed quietly. "Ed had me convinced that no one else could possibly care about me, and I should just be happy that he bothered to make any effort at all. I believed him, too, right up until he died."

He stared down at her, and she could see he was clearly taken aback at the way their lives had run parallel in a strange sort of way. "Well, you ain't that kinda person anymore," he finally said. "Me neither, I guess, 'cuz about the time Rick was breakin' the news to you that I was gone, I'd already turned 'round and was on my way back. You wanna know how I could leave you? The answer is that I _couldn't_ – not when it came right down to it. What I said back in the cell a couple of hours ago, I meant every word – leavin' you behind, that won't _ever_ be happenin' again."

He crouched down in front of her and gently took her hand, interweaving his fingers with hers. Even simple skin to skin contact with him, something as ordinary as touching hands, sent sudden heat shooting through her veins. God, no one else had ever made her feel things so intensely! "Maybe I'm bein' selfish now, but Rick and the others...I don't much care that they don't want Merle around; they can just suck it up," he whispered hoarsely. "An' Merle too, for that matter. I ain't givin' this up for anyone."

Carol leaned forward and brushed away a long lock of hair that had fallen across his face. "I'm going to hold you to that," she murmured, cupping his jaw in her palm and lovingly stroking his cheekbone with her thumb as she gazed into his blue eyes, so dark in the faint moonlight. They were almost the same colour as his brother's, but in Daryl's eyes there was no sign of the cold, predatory gleam she'd seen in Merle's. In Daryl, she saw only his desperate need to be loved, his earnest hope that she'd forgive him for the pain he'd caused her.

She slipped a hand around the nape of his neck and drew him close, catching his lips with hers for a slow, soft kiss she'd been longing for since his return to the prison. Moaning deep in his throat, he shuffled closer into the gap between her legs, spreading his hands over top of her thighs as he filled the space between them with his body. The faint fragrance of her soap rose from his hair and skin, but it was the underlying scent of his natural male musk that ignited her desire and awoke her senses.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you," he rasped huskily as he broke their kiss, gazing deeply into her eyes. "I was stupid as all hell, I know it. I don't ever want to see that look on your face again. I ain't gonna be like him."

She didn't know which 'him' Daryl meant...his father, his brother, or even her late husband. It didn't much matter, though, and she didn't bother to ask. "You're nothing like him," she answered firmly, cradling his face in her hands so he could see she meant what she was saying. "You don't have that kind of malice in you. You put up a pretty tough front but I know you are truly one of the good guys, Daryl Dixon."

He smiled in relief and moved in to kiss her again but she stopped him, pressing her fingertips against his lips to halt his advance. He drew back, perplexed. "I need you to understand something, though," she went on, trying her level best to seem solemn. "If you ever break your promise...if you _ever_ leave me again...I will hunt you down myself. Don't you think I won't!"

Daryl settled back on his heels, his eyes glinting with sudden wicked intent from beneath his unruly bangs and his lips twitching with a grin to match. "An' what'll you do to me when you find me?"

Carol bunched his shirtfront in a fist and pulled him along with her as she got up. They were almost the same height when she stood on the last step, and she draped her arms around his neck while resting her cheek against his. "Anything I want," she breathed hotly against his ear, laughing lightly when she felt him shiver in response.

Without warning, he grabbed her by her hips and whirled her around, using his body to pin hers closely against the chainlink fence that bracketed the stairs. "Been told I'm a slow learner sometimes," he growled, letting his hands slide over the swell of her ass before tugging her roughly against him. "Maybe you'd best show me what kind of consequences I could be facin' if I make another damn fool decision like the last one."

She arched a brow at him. "I'm almost sure I saw some bedding tucked into the corner of that guard tower I just left," she said slyly. "Perhaps that might be the ideal place to teach you a really good lesson."

Daryl kissed her hard then and she submitted willingly, welcoming the sweet taste of him on her tongue and the sensation of his remarkably soft lips against hers. "I'm at your mercy," he whispered into her mouth. "I'm all yours."

* * *

_I know, I know...I'm just plain MEAN to leave it there. But I promise it will be worth it! Stay tuned..._


	4. Chapter 4

_I know, I know...I made you wait a really, REALLY long time for the good stuff, but it takes me a while to get it right...what can I say? Thank you to everyone for your reviews, they bolster my spirits like nothing else (positive feedback is manna for authors, you know!). Anyhow, another shout out of undying appreciation for my beta RF. If you enjoy this installment, you have her to thank for it - she made it so much better!_

_As always, any reviews will be gratefully received and will quite likely make my whole day, if not my whole week! I couldn't ask for better support, you all rock!_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Seemingly out of nowhere, fast-moving clouds swept across the sky and obscured the bright moonlight well before Carol and Daryl could make it halfway across the courtyard. As if the almost complete darkness didn't pose enough of a challenge, a faint rumble of thunder immediately preceded a sudden deluge of driving rain. By the time they'd reached the shelter of the tower, both of them were soaked to the skin and tendrils of vapour rose from their bodies like smoke as the air temperature dropped quickly.

Carol's teeth began to chatter as the damp chill started to really take hold. As her eyes gradually adjusted to the low light, she spotted the mound of bedding that Glenn and Maggie kept stashed here for their more discreet liaisons, and she rooted through it until she found a thin cotton blanket to serve as a makeshift towel. "Get your clothes off so we can slip under the covers," she said, shivering as she quickly stripped bare.

"What, no foreplay?" he teased as he followed her lead, hastily undressing and tossing his sodden clothes into a pile on the floor.

"Hypothermia tends to curb my libido," she shot back, laughing despite the biting cold. She shook the excess water from her hair before drying herself with the soft blanket. Goosebumps covered her from head to toe by the time she handed it to Daryl so he could do the same.

Feeling her way through the pile of blankets and pillows a second time, Carol groaned in gratitude when she discovered a thick, cushiony roll hidden underneath. Thank the lord, a sleeping bag! One of the large, double-sized, down-filled ones too, from its bulk, and likely scavenged from a hunting supply store. After ripping open the velcro straps keeping the sleeping bag tightly rolled, she shook it out as best as she could with her one good hand, whipped the zipper open and dove inside, hunkering down and hugging herself tightly as she continued to tremble.

"Can't hardly see you," Daryl grumbled as he slid in beside her and zipped them in. He turned onto his side and reached for her, pulling her flush against him. Carol tucked herself into the warm shelter of his body, burying her face against his chest as she clung to him.

"Guess you'll have to go by touch, then," she said, vigorously rubbing his back in an attempt to get his blood moving.

"Gotta like the sound of that," he murmured, holding her more snugly and nuzzling her hair.

Nestling inside their flannel and goose-down cocoon and drawing from Daryl's body heat, it wasn't long before she stopped shaking altogether. He seemed to need considerably less time than Carol to warm up again, though, if the way his cock was stirring against her navel was any indication.

Whatever discomfort the rain had visited on them was soon forgotten as her need spiked and desire began to flow through her veins like warm honey. She couldn't see much more than his dark silhouette, but she didn't really need vision as arousal instantly sharpened her other senses. The crisp hairs on his legs tickling her thighs as he shifted slightly... the flat planes of his chest pressing against the softness of her breasts with every breath he took...the heat of his calloused hand seeping into the skin of her back...the enticing, earthy scent of his need rising from his body. Everything about him enflamed her blood and set her heart racing.

She slowly dragged her fingernails over his taut ass and lingered on the hard ledge of his hipbone, taking no small satisfaction as she felt him grow harder in anticipation of her touch. Sweeping her hand towards his groin, she traced the ridges and veins along his stiffening shaft with her fingertips before following the sound of his sharp gasp and finding his mouth with hers.

His tongue eagerly plunged past her welcoming lips as she delicately explored every inch of him, a low growl rising in his throat as she gently fondled his thickening length. She curled her fingers beneath the heavy weight of his sac, revelling in the way the tender skin contracted with his growing excitement before she ran her palm up the underside of his erection to envelop his hot, swollen crown.

Daryl groaned and flexed his hips, grinding himself against her. Skirting her ribs, he slipped a hand between their bodies and captured an aching breast. As he cupped the weight of her in his rough palm, her nipple tightened to a hard peak and she gasped her delight into his mouth.

The sound she made seemed to unlock something within him and his kiss became more aggressive, making something deep inside her clench with intense, almost painful force. There was nothing comforting or chaste about the way he now claimed her with his lips and tongue, nearly robbing her of the ability to breathe. She could taste his raw, stark hunger and her heart beat wildly in her chest as he all but devoured her.

The past year had brought about a lot of changes in Daryl...he was no longer as defensive as he had been, was more confident in dealing with others and less prone to sudden outbursts of anger. But she now understood that his true, passionate nature had never really changed, and for that she was undeniably grateful. As hard as he worked to control himself around everyone else, it spoke volumes about their bond that he would let his restraint slip with her and set all of that amazing, fiery emotion loose in the most thrilling way she could imagine.

His cock was rock-solid and quivering in her grip now, its smooth, soft skin stretched tautly over a hot, rigid core. While she continued to caress him, he abandoned her breast and skimmed his hand lightly over the curve of her hip. Cupping the smooth swell of her bottom, he began a slow, intimate massage that set every nerve in her body humming and heat curling low in her body.

His kisses were devastating, his touch exquisite torture, but they only served to whet her appetite for more. Carol wanted to know every part of him, wanted to mark him and leave no question in his mind that he belonged to her.

Whether her intense longings were because she once thought she'd lost him or because the darkness in which they lay tangled had helped her to shed her inhibitions, she had no idea and quite frankly didn't care. Figuring it out would take a sober thoughtfulness of which she was no longer capable.

Carol tore herself from his lips and squirmed her way down his body, leaving a path of fervent, open-mouthed kisses in her wake. Daryl's snarl of protest was cut short as her lips formed a tight, wet seal over one of his nipples and she flicked at the turgid bud of flesh with the tip of her tongue until he grasped her head and twisted helplessly against her.

She let his nipple slip from her mouth and wriggled down further to lap the thin line of hairs below his navel, smiling at the way he clutched hard at her shoulder when she exhaled lightly over the damp trail she'd left behind. She loved that he was so responsive, so completely overcome that he avidly submitted to her attentions...and she desperately wanted to test exactly how far she could push him.

Going down on a man wasn't something that had ever appealed to her that much before. With Ed, she'd only ever done so out of a sense of obligation –or, as was more often the case, because she was forced. But she wanted to have this with Daryl...wanted to taste his essence on her tongue, wanted to know him in this incredibly intimate way, wanted to make him lose control. And she was surprised to find that the need to bring him such intense pleasure made her desire for him burn even hotter.

She pushed on his hip until he took the hint and rolled over on his back, spreading his legs slightly as if in invitation. Propping herself on one elbow while carefully keeping her injured wrist well out of the way, she ducked her head down until she found his cock's wet tip with her lips. Grasping him carefully in one hand, Carol kissed the broad, velvety head and licked away the drop of faintly salty fluid welling up beneath her tongue. The flavour was uniquely him, the sumptuous taste flooding her mouth and further fuelling her own pounding need.

Daryl moaned, rolling his hips and caressing her shoulder with a shaky hand. His thighs trembled slightly as she leisurely circled the flared ridge of his glans, laving and swirling his sensitive flesh until he twitched heavily in her grasp. Another drop of thick fluid seeped over her fingers and she trailed it down his stiff column with the tip of her tongue, flicking at the tiny flap of skin on the underside of his jutting cock until he writhed and tightened his fist into the curls at the nape of her neck.

She started stroking him, alternating between slow and fast, firm and light until he instinctively thrust in time to the pumping of her hand. Unable to wait any longer to sample the straining evidence of his need, Carol parted her lips and gently sucked him in as far as she possibly could.

"Aw, fuuuck..." he ground out, his voice rough as gravel. As his legs tensed and he arched deeper into her mouth, she felt wetness bloom and coat the soft skin of her inner thighs. She wished then that it wasn't so dark, that she could see the look of bliss on his face and watch as he was swept away by what she was doing to him. Just the thought was enough to spur her on, and her breath came in furious gasps around his erection as she ran her tongue over the lush, engorged head of his sex.

"Carol...you gotta stop...it's too much...Christ, woman..." Daryl groaned. Her whole body flushed with heat at his strangled words and she moaned around his cock, utterly lost in her ardent ministrations.

He was close, she could feel it...his pulse thrummed against her tongue as she sucked and he throbbed within her fist. His hips shook as he bucked against her, but just when she was certain he could hold back no longer, he grasped her firmly by her shoulders and roughly yanked her up the length of his body.

Both of them were gasping and trembling, lying face to face but unable to see one another with any kind of clarity. She could feel Daryl's member straining against her belly as his warm breath washed over her face. "Told you to stop! What the hell you tryin' to do to me?" he panted, wrapping his arms around her and holding her so tightly that she couldn't have moved even if she'd wanted to.

"I was trying to make you feel good," she rasped, annoyed at being unable to finish what she'd started just as he was on the verge of release. Her heart thudded against her ribs, her entire skin felt feverish, and if he didn't do something soon to relieve the demanding ache at the crux of her thighs, she was going to scream.

"Well, it was workin' just fine, but you gotta gimme a minute, alright? This ain't just about me," he hissed, clearly trying to exercise some restraint as she squirmed in frustration against him. "S'about both of us. I wanna..."

He paused and she lifted her head, something about his voice catching her attention even through the haze of her lust. "What do you want?" she whispered, pulling an arm free and brushing her fingertips against his stubbly jaw.

"I wanna to show you that I love you," he said hoarsely. "After what I did, I feel like I gotta prove it to you. And I can't if you...if you keep doin' what you're doin'."

"I _liked_ what I was doing to you," Carol purred. "And while I hope you know now that you have nothing left to prove to me, far be it from me to keep you from _trying_." She sought out his nipple with her lips and punctuated her point by tugging gently on the small nub with her teeth. His cock jerked against her belly and triggered a tremor that rocked both of them from head to toe.

In a surprising and sudden flurry of movement, he flipped her over and pinned her beneath the delicious weight of his body. Carol winced as her injured wrist banged against his shoulder but she stifled her whimper, not wanting him to know he'd inadvertently hurt her. Compared to all the other sensations flooding through her, that brief bite of pain was quickly forgotten.

"Don't know when to leave well enough alone, do ya?" he growled playfully, wedging her legs apart with his knees. "You go on that way, and I ain't gonna last."

"I don't care! I need you now...please," she pleaded, light-headed from both the heat surrounding them and the desire raging through her. .

Daryl shifted his hips until she felt his blunt tip just nudging against her slick entrance, and she spread herself wider, wanting him with a desperation she could hardly comprehend. There was no part of her that didn't crave him...she needed him to fill up her body and her heart. No one else would do...not now, not ever.

She clutched at the stiff, trembling muscles of his arms, subtly tilting her hips to invite him in, but he wasn't going to give in so easily. Instead, he leaned slightly to one side and reached down to take himself in hand and rub his rigid erection slowly all over the hot flesh of her swollen cleft.

"Maybe a little turn-about is fair play, huh?" he teased huskily, surging his hips forward but stopping just short of penetration. The sticky wetness of his precum coated her nether lips, and the anticipation of having him inside her brought forth another dewy trickle from within her.

"You know you're punishing yourself every bit as much as you are me," she shakily reminded him in a voice edged with undisguised frustration. "Maybe more."

"Could be," he laughed breathlessly, releasing his shaft and gently caressing her pussy with the back of his knuckles. "But I wanna make this good for you. S'important, okay?"

She drew in a shuddering breath, his words making the back her throat hurt with emotion. She nodded even though he couldn't see it. "It can't be anything but good with you, Daryl. I know it."

He settled himself on her pelvis and she almost wept with relief at the heavy, sensual pressure. "We belong together, Carol," he whispered with absolute certainty, brushing his lips softly against hers. "I'm sorry I lost sight of that for even a few hours. Ain't no one and nothin' as important to me as you are."

She only had a moment to marvel at how quickly he'd gone from fierce to tender before he eased his way past her hot, moist folds, her body stretching to accommodate him as he moved himself past the firm grip of her muscles. He withdrew slightly only to thrust further in, and her head kicked back onto the cushion of the sleeping bag as he filled her completely and chased away the emptiness once and for all. Carol wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him tightly as he began a steady rhythm of long, slow strokes, each one deep and perfect.

"Daryl...oh my God!" she cried, her body moving in concert with his. He caught her lips with his, but this time his kisses were so sweet and soft that her heart ached even as her body eagerly responded.

Her breath hitched and a soft gasp of pleasure broke from her throat as she began to spiral upwards. Hearing it, he clasped her hips in his hands and began to drive up the pace. Sensation built inside her with every vigorous lunge and just as his body suddenly tensed and jerked hard into her, her name bursting from his lips, Carol's climax hit her like a bolt of lightning. She sobbed with joy as waves rippled through her and around his hard length, heightening her orgasm until she saw starbursts behind her eyelids.

Daryl slumped against her, both of them totally drained and completely sated. As she snuggled her face into the crook of his shoulder, it occurred to her that it wasn't just the physical gratification that left her so utterly relaxed and at peace; sharing this with him was like reuniting with the other half of her soul. What she felt for this man made a mockery of every other passing attraction, every declaration of love she'd ever made before she'd met him.

He withdrew and slid carefully off to one side, only to gently gather her into his arms again, pressing his cheek against her brow. They lay together in the sweet aftermath of their love, their breathing and heartbeats gradually slowing as their exhausted bodies cooled.

"I'm starting to see the appeal of Glenn and Maggie's little love nest," she said, grazing the sweat-dampened hair on his chest. "Actual privacy – that's a rare commodity around here."

"Huh," he grunted thoughtfully, shifting position until her head rested on his arm and he could pull her closer. "Well, it's a good thing we weren't doin' this back in our cell. The noise you make, you'd have woken the whole place up. An' here I thought _Maggie_ was loud when her an' Glenn was goin' at it. Figure I owe her an apology now."

Carol laughed in surprise but lightly punched him in the gut for the needling comment. "Guess something about you brings out my wild side," she said, smiling contentedly as she settled back into the cradle of his embrace.

"Don't you forget it, neither," he said, his words distorted by a yawn as he curled up against her. "Yer damn lucky to have me."

As wonderful as everything was in this moment, Carol knew there was nothing idyllic about the kind of life they faced. She didn't doubt that they'd have their share of fights and misunderstandings, but just being with him the way she was right now made her feel as if she could face anything.

The rain continued, drumming soothingly on the roof and windowpanes, and it wasn't long before Carol surrendered to its lullaby and allowed herself to finally join Daryl in sleep.

* * *

_Well, do you like? Do you want me to go on? Please let me know!_


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm sure there are those of you who had given up on me ever updating this story, and I must apologize for taking as long as I did. I re-wrote this particular chapter at least twice, and I hope that you'll feel that it was worth the extra wait in the end.__Thanks to everyone who reviewed and as always, a million thanks to RF for helping me craft a better story. Her beta skills are second to none!_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Clear, sweet birdcalls signalled the arrival of dawn just as the first rays of sunshine spilled over the tower's window sills. Carol stirred and blinked sleepily, momentarily disoriented by her surroundings until the events of the night before came rushing back at her. Smiling, she stretched an arm out for Daryl only to find his spot cool and empty.

"Daryl?" Carol murmured, propping herself on her elbows and peering around the confines of the tower. The moment his name left her lips, though, the hollow echo of her voice bouncing off the concrete walls let her know that she was alone.

Carol wriggled out from beneath the covers, rubbed at the persistent ache in her bruised wrist and then shivered as the crisp morning air quickly robbed her body of warmth. Hugging herself, she spotted the slightly damp blanket they'd used to dry themselves last night and snatched it up, wrapping it around her torso and cinching it snugly under her arms as she made her way to the window overlooking the compound.

A single walker clawing at the fence caught her eye, its emaciated arm stretching desperately through a gap between the gate and the post as it reached towards something...or someone. Seeking out the object of its attention, she saw a dark figure striding from the prison towards the base of the guard tower she occupied. Although she'd been more confused than concerned by his absence, she couldn't help her rush of relief at Daryl's return.

And yes, it was unmistakably him, even though she couldn't see more than his silhouette in the faint morning light. The way his broad shoulders shifted as he walked, his swagger that stopped just short of being cocky, the outline of the crossbow slung over his back – it was all as familiar to her now as her own reflection. When he disappeared from her line of sight, Carol threw off the chilly blanket and hunkered back into the cozy sleeping bag to wait.

He must have been taking special care not to wake her, because she didn't hear his footsteps at all until he re-emerged from the stairwell. He quietly stood over her and even though the sun was to his back and his face was shadowed, she felt his gaze move over her like a caress and she trembled at the sensation.

"You awake?" he asked tentatively.

"I am," she answered softly. "Where'd you go?"

"Decided to sneak back in b'fore anyone else was up so I could grab some dry clothes. Brought some for you, too. What we was wearin' last night was still soppin' wet," Daryl murmured, setting his crossbow and backpack against the wall. He kicked off his boots and sank down onto the sleeping bag, stretching out alongside her.

She reached out and took his hand, surreptitiously concealing the injury on her other wrist by tucking her right arm beneath her head. Gently stroking his knuckles with her thumb, she couldn't help but frown at the bruises and scrapes marring his skin. They were a very visible reminder of the danger residing only a few short miles from the prison, and the sight of his wounds brought a very unwelcome surge of fear for Daryl and the rest of their group.

"What's going to happen, Daryl?" she asked somberly, searching out his tender blue eyes. "The Governor...he's not going to just let us walk away after all this, is he?"

He didn't answer immediately and she knew he was trying to decide between telling the truth or offering some kind of comfort. Finally he shook his head and gave her fingers a brief squeeze. "Nah. If anything, we've made it worse. If he had his doubts about us before, now he knows for sure we're a threat. This attack was just a test. He wanted to know what kind of weapons we had, how we'd handle ourselves under fire. Might be nuts but he ain't stupid – the next time he comes rolling in here, he'll be playin' for keeps."

"Then we should get out of here! If we're just sitting ducks, let's leave while we still can and run as far away as possible!" she said, her voice quavering slightly.

Daryl took her hand between both of his and lightly brushed his lips along her fingertips. "We'd be more vulnerable out on the open road than if we stay put. All he'd have to do is put some shooters along the tree line, block the way from both sides, and we'd be trapped in the middle with bullets flyin' from every direction and no escape. Maybe Rick's got his own thoughts about what to do but I can't see any way 'round it – we're gonna have to make a stand here, maybe even take the fight back to Woodbury before it's all over."

Carol had known their situation was dire but she'd never once considered that it might just be hopeless. Words temporarily failed her as reality started to sink in and she couldn't do much more than stare back at him in disbelief. "There's got to be something we can do," she finally blurted. "We can wait until it's dark, sneak out quietly..."

"He'll be watchin', waitin' for us to do exactly that," he said with such assuredness that she almost wanted to shake him. "There's too many of us to slip under his radar. Ain't no way for us to travel fast and light anymore –for sure not with a baby in tow. They'd be on us before we made a mile. We gotta stay here or risk losin' everyone."

"So that's it, then?" she replied incredulously as her stomach bunched into hard, queasy knots. "We wait for him to come and finish the job? What chance do we have if the whole town turns up, armed to the teeth?"

"We know more than we did before. He's got no strategy 'cept to crash the gates, guns blazin' an' wastin' ammunition like an idiot. We'll be ready for him next time, so don't you think on it another minute."

Carol shifted closer and clutched the soft cotton of his shirt in her fist, resting her forehead against his chest and dragging his distinct scent deep into her lungs. "How can you be so calm about all this?"

He curled an arm around her protectively, warm fingers spreading over the cool skin between her shoulder blades as he drew her to him. "Ain't gonna sit around worryin' over what might happen; wouldn't help anyhow," he murmured against the crown of her head. "I trust Rick. B'tween him, me, an' Hershel, we'll get things figured out. Right now, everyone that counts is safe and we got each other. Don't wanna waste this time frettin', do you?"

No, she really didn't. Having Daryl lying so close, touching her again, fanned the spark of need he'd ignited the minute he'd walked back into the room. As she lifted her head slightly and brushed her lips over the hot, exposed skin of his throat, though, her stomach chose that moment to give out a loud, twisty growl that had her gasping in embarrassment and Daryl snorting with laughter.

"Well, if that didn't kill the mood, I'm not sure what would," she groaned, rolling away from him and covering her reddening face with her hand.

"You took off without dinner last night, so no surprise you're hungry," he snickered as he sat up and reached for his knapsack. "Hold up, pretty sure I got somethin' in here to eat."

Propping herself up on an elbow, Carol smiled affectionately as he sat cross-legged and scrounged through his pack. "Maybe we should just head back inside – it's about time for me to get breakfast ready anyway."

Daryl scowled as he continued to search. "Screw that! Won't hurt 'em to look after themselves for one damned mornin'. You ain't nobody's servant."

"We all have our roles within the group," she replied, sliding a calming hand over the hard curve of his thigh. "I want to feel like I'm contributing. I don't want to be a..."

His head snapped up and he went still. "You're not a burden, okay? Won't have you sayin' that again, y'hear? You give us the only 'normal' we got in our lives anymore. Everything else we do...keeping the prison secure, making our runs, fightin' the walkers...what point would there be without a home to come back to? The only real one I ever had."

"A home, not a tomb?" she reminded gently, his hurtful words from the day before still fresh in her memory. "You didn't seem so sure about this place yesterday."

His winced and looked sheepish. "I was mad, on edge over everything b'tween Rick and the others when I said that. But I get it now, y'know? Home ain't a place. Wherever we are, so long as I'm with you, it'll feel like home."

Her eyes stung at the heartfelt sentiment of his statement and she swallowed hard against her tender emotions. More often than not, he could catch her off-guard with the depth of his feelings, made even more poignant by the simple, straightforward way he expressed them. The same words might have seemed hokey or contrived coming from someone else, but Carol never once doubted Daryl's sincerity. He had no guile; it simply wasn't in him to be dishonest, even for the sake of flattery.

While she struggled for words, he finally found what he had been looking for and as he held his hand out towards her, she laughed with delight.

"A peach? I was sure we'd eaten the last of those a few weeks ago!"

She took it from him and held it to her nose, inhaling its sweet fragrance as the fuzz tickled her upper lip. Fresh produce had become such a rarity; when Hershel lost his leg, their dreams of planting a garden had been sidelined and they'd had to seek out whatever scant vegetables and fruit were growing untended in abandoned plots and orchards. Even then, meals usually consisted of canned goods supplemented with whatever game Daryl could hunt down. Unprocessed food was a fast-disappearing luxury, and as the one responsible for making sure everyone ate on a regular basis, it was a constant source of worry for her.

"Found it on the way back yesterday when we passed through someone's yard," he said, looking smugly self-satisfied at her enthusiasm. "Last one on the tree, hangin' there like it was meant to be found. Glad I had the sense to pick it 'stead of leavin' it to the birds."

"Me too," she sighed happily, sitting up as well so she could eat. The moment she did, the sleeping bag slipped off her torso and left her exposed from the waist up to the surrounding cold...and to Daryl, of course. She hardly even gave it a thought until she heard his breath catch and saw his hands curl into tight fists. Carol fought back her smile as his cheeks coloured, pleased that her nudity could still have such a profound effect on him even though she had no secrets left to share.

Choosing to pretend she hadn't noticed his reaction, she bit into the succulent flesh of the fruit, closing her eyes and savouring the sweet rush of juice as it burst over her tongue and trickled down her throat. In all her life, she'd never found anything that could beat the sunshine-kissed smell and taste of a ripe Georgia peach, harvested straight from the tree. "God, that's good," she moaned, licking the pulp from her lips. "I think this officially snags you the title of 'World's Most Perfect Man'."

"By bringin' you a piece of fruit?" he replied hoarsely as he stared at her breasts with such undisguised longing that it sent a warm thrill of arousal coursing through her veins. "Don't seem like much of a contest if that's all it took to win."

"No, there was more to it than that," she said, grinning mischievously. "Serving me breakfast in bed just puts you over the top." She held out the fruit to him and looked at him questioningly, but he curtly shook his head, clearly not hungry for food. Shrugging her shoulders, she took another bite and chewed slowly, sighing again with contentment.

His eyes were hooded with the intensity of his need, and he tracked the movement of her chest as she exhaled. Meeting her gaze again, he shifted restlessly, new tension obvious in the muscles of his jaw. "Yeah? What else did I do to deserve this honour?"

She slid towards him until her knee was pressed against his through the bedding. "Well, let me think," she murmured. "You're fighting off walkers one minute and in the next, you're soothing a baby crying in your arms. You never eat until you're sure everyone else has already had a helping. Even when you're exhausted beyond words, you volunteer to take the watch overnight. And you pulled on soaking wet clothes this morning just so you could be sure I had something dry and warm to wear."

There was so much more that could be said, Carol reflected as she watched him trying to decide how to react. If his sudden awkwardness was any indication, however, she'd already said too much. Typical of Daryl, he didn't see anything remarkable in what he did every day, not just for her but for all of their people. She'd unwittingly managed to embarrass him and although every bit of it was true, she now regretted acknowledging out loud what he obviously would have preferred to remain unsaid.

"There's one more thing I forgot to mention," she ventured, deciding that lightening the moment might be the way to go if she was to have any hope of salvaging the morning. "The most important thing, really."

He cringed and reluctantly glanced up at her from beneath his long bangs. "Yeah? What's that?"

"You have a _wicked_ ride. Don't know if you're aware of this or not, but women love hot guys with badass motorcycles. I'm afraid I'm no exception."

"The Triumph ain't mine – belongs to Merle," he huffed, his gaze dropping to his hands as he fought the shy grin tugging the side of his mouth.

"I think you're missing the point. I can promise you that Merle _never_ looked as good on that bike as you do," she purred in her most sultry voice. "In fact, the only thing more exciting than seeing you on that machine is riding behind you, my arms around your waist, my thighs hugging yours and my chest pressed against your back." She took another mouthful of ripe peach, lapping the errant drops of juice from her lips suggestively, hoping he'd be tempted to take a taste for himself.

There was no humour left in his expression when he locked his gaze with hers; in fact, the stark desire on his face made her heart kick suddenly against her ribs. "Carol, it's makin' me crazy, you sitting there without a stitch on, talkin' like that and us not doing anything 'bout it," he growled. "I don't wanna play games with you – I'm no good at it."

She smiled in acute embarrassment and shook her head as heat flared in her cheeks, feeling kind of ridiculous. "Obviously I'm not either," she admitted, averting her face. "So much for my grand seduction, huh?"

"It ain't like that for us," he said more softly, reaching out to cup her cheek and gently turning her head until she had no choice but to meet his stunningly intense blue eyes again. "If you wanna be with me, just say it."

"You know I do," she whispered huskily, focusing on the curve of his soft, full lips as she leaned closer. "More than I've ever wanted anyone else. More than I ever thought I _could_ want someone."

Wordlessly, he snatched what remained of the peach from her hand and tossed it aside. He tugged on her arm to coax her from the sleeping bag until she was fully seated in the warm cradle of his lap with her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms draped over his wide shoulders. Carol had only a moment to savour the tantalizingly stiff bulge pressed against her damp core before he caught her mouth with his, demanding and possessive.

She melted into his kiss, pliant and yielding, her breasts pressing against the hard wall of muscles across his chest as he tightened his hold on her. Electricity seemed to crackle between their bodies, heating the air around them while lightning whipped through her bloodstream.

His taste filled her mouth, tingling on her tongue and seeping down so deep inside of her that she knew she'd never be able to get him out. "So sweet," he moaned, stroking her back with small caresses she felt from head to toe.

"It's...just...it's...the peach," she stammered, her ability to speak hampered as she lost herself in the silken slide of his tongue across her bottom lip.

"Nah, it's you. All you," he breathed, his hands creeping down to clutch the globes of her ass. He lifted her up and dipped his head down at the same time, trailing his lips along the curve of her throat. "You taste like heaven."

Her head fell back and her eyelids fluttered closed as he slowly worked his way down, the burning path of his kisses making her squirm expectantly. It was strangely erotic, his being fully clothed while she was completely naked, and the rough fabric rubbing against her bare skin made her feel like her entire body was being stimulated at once.

Daryl's fingers coasted across her breast for a breathless second before he latched on with his lips, gently drawing her nipple past the blunt threshold of his teeth and into the molten haven of his mouth. The air left her lungs in a rush as he sucked tenderly on the fleshy tip, his tongue feather-light as he teased it into a stiff peak. Bunching his shirt in her fists, she arched her back and shuddered as he persistently and devotedly licked away all semblance of her control.

His whiskers tickled the sensitive skin between her breasts as he pulled back and paused, seemingly giving her a moment to find her bearings. But instead of repeating what he'd already done, he grazed his lips softly over her other nipple...skimming, barely touching. His breath flowed over her skin, hot and cool at the same time, as he leisurely lapped at her with the flat of his tongue. As much as what he'd done first had driven her nearly out of her mind, what he was doing now made heat begin to curl slowly and deliciously between her thighs.

"Take off your clothes," she begged hoarsely, desperate to feel his skin against hers. "I want to touch you!"

"Not yet," he said slyly, suddenly sitting forward. A jolt of adrenalin shot through Carol and she instinctively clutched hard at his shoulders to keep from falling. Splaying a hand over her back, he carefully lowered her to the sleeping bag's soft cushion once more and hovered above her, his gaze raking her with such raw hunger that she trembled. "I ain't finished. I wanna do to you what you did to me last night."

Self-consciousness intruded on her excitement, and she bit her lip with sharp uncertainty. "You don't have to. Some men...they find that unpleasant, especially after...you know, after sex. You might not like what...I'm like down there."

He dropped his head and pressed his lips to the valley between her breasts, nuzzling her and breathing in her scent. She gently eased her fingers into his hair, half hoping that maybe she could dissuade him from going any further. "I love everything 'bout you," he whispered against her chest. "I promise, I'll go slow and if it don't make you feel good, you say so and I'll stop, okay?"

"Okay," she whispered, reluctantly releasing him so he could inch further down her body, untangling her legs from where they were still clasped around his hips and parting her thighs so he could lie between them. Her pulse raced but whether from excitement or nervousness, she could no longer say with any certainty. She waited apprehensively, every nerve ending abuzz as she forced herself to keep completely still.

He slowly ran his hands over the flare of her hips, following the contours of her thighs as he planted kisses over the slight swell of her navel. With his knees, he urged her to spread her thighs wider even as he caressed the soft inner skin of her legs, revealing her private self to him completely. Carol squeezed her eyes closed, afraid he'd balk once he reached that point and certain he'd find it as distasteful as she fully expected him to. It was with no small measure of surprise, then, that she felt his hot breath against her damp mound a moment before his slick tongue lightly traced the seam of her slit.

He groaned deep in his throat. "Fuck...you taste just as amazing as I thought...Carol...God Almighty..." he ground out, bending his head to take another long, sensuous lick between the soft, swollen petals of her pussy. When he slowly circled her clit with his fingertip, her body clenched and her hips jerked upwards, moisture flowing forth as her arousal spiked and overrode her remaining misgivings.

Her helpless reaction must have emboldened him, because he began to stroke her wet folds with new confidence, exploring every inch of her first with gentle fingers and then his mouth. When she gripped his shoulder in a silent plea, he pushed two fingers into her tight sheath in one long, exquisite plunge while he slid his lips over her erect clit, carefully sucking the delicate little bud into his mouth.

Any traces of the restraint she'd been able to exercise up to that point vanished instantly as she was engulfed by pure erotic sensation, his lips smooth and soft and his tongue a velvety rasp that were in wonderfully sharp contrast to his rough hands. She rocked towards him, riding a rolling tide of ecstasy with each stroke of his fingers.

Carol's eyes flickered open and she glanced down the length of her body through her haze of passion so she could see as well as feel what he was doing to her. What she saw brought her quickly to the quivering edge of climax. Daryl had his eyes closed, long eyelashes resting on his cheeks as his head bobbed, lapping at her fevered flesh like a cat at a bowl of cream, fully and completely lost in both her pleasure and his. And while he made love to her with one hand, his other hand was between his legs, rhythmically stroking his cock through his pants, his firm, smooth shoulder muscles shifting and flexing as he sought relief for his body's own urgent demands.

Fire, molten and all-consuming, shot straight down to her core and flared between her legs. He must have sensed her climax building because just before she went over the edge, he suddenly withdrew his fingers and buried his tongue deep inside of her.

She came in a rippling explosion and cried out loudly, bucking uncontrollably as he clutched at her hips, kissing away the liquid trickling from within her and prolonging the aftershocks. For a moment, she wondered if her heart hadn't stopped altogether, suspended as she was in a moment of timeless rapture.

Her legs were shaking, fine tremors moving through her as she couldn't take it anymore and impatiently shoved at his shoulders until he backed off. Far from being completely satisfied, Carol found herself wanting him with a renewed desperation that startled her. God help her, but this man..._her_ man_..._had unlocked the kind of physical desire that constantly simmered beneath the surface of her skin and threatened to make her practically useless whenever they were in close proximity.

Blood still thundering through her veins, she pulled her legs up and rolled over onto hands and knees, quickly turning around and roughly pushing Daryl over onto his back. He looked so beautiful, so achingly sexy as he lay there, his arms resting above him on either side of his head, and his lips glistening and slightly swollen from the attention he'd given her. Although his body seemed relaxed, his huge erection strained at the zipper of his fly and his face was tight with tension.

"Carol...please..." he all but pleaded, his voice breaking as he shifted uncomfortably on the bedroll.

"I'll take care of you," she promised breathlessly, her fingers quickly working open his belt buckle a heartbeat before she unzipped him. He sighed in shaky anticipation as she tugged his underwear and pants down his thighs and all the way to his knees, his engorged cock springing out and curving up towards his belly in irresistible invitation. Knowing that neither of them could wait any longer, Carol straddled him immediately and with a lazy spiral of her hips, slowly sank down onto his rigid shaft.

The sensation of him filling her, stretching her channel wide, stole her breath away. Daryl moaned low in his throat as she slowly wriggled her bottom, welcoming his invasion and taking him into the haven of her body an inch at a time until she was fully seated on his pelvis. For a few minutes, neither of them moved as they gasped for air and savoured the moment of their joining, but there was an unspoken urgency between them that could not be ignored.

Carol began to ride him, forcing herself to go slowly even though her most primal instincts demanded that she claim him hard and fast. He always took his time with her, always tried to prolong the pleasure as long as he could, and she was damned well going to do the same for him. His expression was rapt and his lips slightly parted, and he was utterly entranced as he watched her breasts swaying above him. He lightly massaged her thighs in time with her movements, and she could feel him swelling inside her as he began thrusting upwards to meet each languorous stroke.

As ultra-sensitive as she was, she was trembling on the brink of release and she could already feel the familiar, sweet pressure building in her womb. Her legs shook and beads of sweat broke out on her brow with the effort of holding herself in check, and she closed her eyes as she threw her head back, focusing solely on the delicious friction they were creating.

His thigh muscles bunched as he grabbed her hips tightly, driving himself into her with a force that literally shook her and might in fact have thrown her off of him entirely if she hadn't gripped his hands to steady herself. He panted in sharp, fast bursts as he thrust with new vigour, close to coming, and he drew her down onto him until her breasts pressed tightly against his chest. The action unlocked powerful spasms that radiated from her core and she finally surrendered to the most stunning orgasm she'd ever had as he emptied his essence into her. She felt him shudder with pleasure as her muscles clamped around him to milk the last of the seed from his sated body.

Daryl kept her wrapped in his steely embrace so she stayed right where she was, her head resting on his chest, her legs bracketing his thighs, and his throbbing cock still buried snugly within her. It was a perfect moment, one that made the ugliness that had passed between them the day before seem very far away and long ago.

"If that's the reaction I can expect, I figure I might bring you a whole basket of peaches next time an' see what that gets me," he rasped, trailing his fingertips lightly down the curve of her spine.

Carol blushed and laughed softly, snuggling her face against his chest so she could listen to the steady thudding of his heart. "The real trick is going to be figuring out a way to keep my hands off of you. I'm afraid you've created a monster."

"Tough problem. Don't know how I'm gonna handle that," he chuckled, nestling his cheek against the top of her head.

Although she would have been content to spend a few hours just holding him and basking in the afterglow, Carol's limbs started to cramp up. She slowly shifted herself, trying to roll off to one side so she could snuggle up against him. Thinking she was leaving him too soon, he grasped her arm in wordless protest just as she extricated herself. As his fingers closed around her black-and-blue wrist, she cried out at the sharp and unexpected pain and quickly snatched the injured limb back.

Daryl scrambled into a sitting position, sudden alarm plainly written on his face. "Did I hurt you? Shit, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to be so rough!"

She turned away to try concealing the injury, but was anxious to reassure him. "No, it wasn't you. It happened last night – it's just sorer today than I expected."

His muscles relaxed a bit in relief that he hadn't inadvertently harmed her, but his brow was still furrowed in concern. He squeezed her shoulder gently. "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt? I'd have been more careful. Let me take a look; maybe we need to get Hershel to wrap it up or somethin'."

Carol quickly stood up and grabbed his backpack, shaking her head as she hurriedly dug around for the clothes he'd brought her. "It's nothing, Daryl. I just bumped it a little bit. It'll be fine. Let's get back inside, okay? I think after all this, I might have to take another bath, plus I've got laundry to do and the baby to see to..." she trailed off, her forced cheerfulness sounding false even to her own ears. Deceit was certainly not her strong point.

"Carol," he said firmly, getting to his feet, "you need to let me see that hand. Now."

She looked over her shoulder at him just as he was tucking himself back into his pants, and realized from his determined expression that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Her shoulders sagging in resignation, she turned and held her arm out towards him.

He gently cradled her wrist with both hands and as he bent to examine it closely, she could almost see dark storm clouds gathering above his head as his anger grew. "Who the hell did this to you? And don't you try and sell me any stories about running into a door, neither. I can see the fingerprints in your skin, plain as day."

Carol took a deep breath and swallowed hard, desperately trying to figure some way to diffuse what was promising to turn into a truly awful situation. "First, let me explain." she said slowly, gingerly pulling away before reaching for his backpack again, "that it was really more of a misunderstanding than anything else. In fact, it's my fault it happened at all..."

"_What!_?" he hissed quietly, his rage contained...for the moment, at least. "Someone hurts you and you blame yourself? You of all people gotta know how fucked up that is, don't you?"

She found a long-sleeved t-shirt and pulled it over her head, trying to remain calm and controlled. "I'm not asking you to do anything about it, alright? I handled the situation fine on my own. I really need you to just let this go."

"The hell I will!" he barked. "Ain't no one gonna get away with hurting you, not while I'm around. Who the hell are you tryin' to protect?"

She reluctantly looked up at him and took his clenched fist in her hand. "You. I'm trying to protect you, okay? Please, I don't want this to get blown out of proportion. Let's not ruin what started out to be such a wonderful day."

His expression grew cold and dangerous as understanding suddenly dawned, and Carol's stomach dropped as her trepidation mounted. "It was Merle, wasn't it?" he snarled. "Merle did this to you. I'm gonna fuckin' kill him."

"Daryl, wait...you don't understand..."

He might have heard her but he paid no heed to her protests. Daryl shoved his feet into his boots, snatched his crossbow from where he'd left it and stormed down the stairs while Carol desperately tugged on her clothes, hoping she would be fast enough to catch up to him before the situation spiralled totally out of control.


	6. Chapter 6

_I wanted to get this chapter posted before I leave for holidays and have only sporadic internet access. Thanks so much for those who reviewed, I am gratified that you enjoyed that last chapter. Now for a little brotherly confrontation, read on! And hey, can't miss saying thanks once again to RF for her beta skills (high quality feedback and quick turnaround, who could ask for more?). By the way, I've changed the POV from Carol to Daryl, and the rest of the story will be from his perspective. _

_Pretty please, review if you like!_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

A hot, red haze tinted the edge of Daryl's vision and the muscles between his shoulder blades twisted with angry tension as he jammed the key into the lock and cranked hard, flinging the prison door open hard enough that the metallic clang echoed loudly through the concrete corridors. He was faintly aware of Carol frantically calling his name from across the compound, but it didn't slow him down in the least. There wasn't anything she could say that would keep him from making sure that every second of pain she'd had to suffer would be taken out on Merle's fuckin' hide.

As he stormed towards the cell block, the thought of those deep, blotchy bruises on her wrist made his anger burn even hotter – Christ, it was a miracle Merle hadn't just snapped her bones! That his brother had attacked Carol after the others had reluctantly agreed to let him stay on – and only hours after Daryl had pleaded his brother's case and sworn to Rick that he'd keep a leash on Merle – well, it was real hard not to take it personal.

Why Carol? Daryl just couldn't see it at all. She hadn't been part of the group who'd left Merle behind in Atlanta, so his singling her out as a target for vengeance made no sense. Maybe he'd figured out that Carol meant somethin' special and striking out at her was payback for what had happened while they were trekkin' through the woods. In the end, though, it didn't much matter. The fact that his brother had raised his hand to her at all was just plain unforgivable, and more so given both of their pasts.

Beth cried out in surprise and nearly dropped the bottle of infant formula she was warming up when Daryl charged through the door, and Maggie hastily tugged her out of his path as he dropped his crossbow on the table and brusquely pushed past the sisters to take the stairs to the guard booth two at a time. Knowing how close Glenn was to exacting some retribution on behalf of what had happened in Woodbury, Rick had insisted Merle spend his nights separated from their people, and Daryl figured his former hideaway was the perfect compromise. Turned out it hadn't been nearly far enough away to keep Carol from getting hurt, but least ways he knew exactly where to find his older sibling.

By the time Daryl tore the door nearly off its hinges and stalked into the little room, Merle was already out of his bedroll and getting to his feet, no doubt alerted by Daryl's heavy tread on the stairs. "What the fuck?" Merle groused sleepily, squinting and rubbing at his stubble. "You better have a damned good reason for..."

Daryl roared in rage, lunging forward and letting fly with an uppercut to Merle's ugly mug that sent his older brother reeling back against the control panel. Before he could slide to the floor, Daryl fisted the front of Merle's ragged wifebeater and hit him again, sending droplets of blood and spittle spraying across the dingy windows.

"Ain't so fuckin' tough now, huh?!" Daryl snarled into Merle's face. "You got the balls to take on someone who can fight back? Or you jus' as much a lowlife, shit-yellow stinkin'coward as our daddy?"

Merle's eyes rolled and he shook his head dazedly, trying to wrench himself free from Daryl's grasp. He hocked out a wad of pinkish phlegm onto the console, chuckling unpleasantly. "You better step off, boy, if'n you know what's good for you. You already gonna get your butt kicked for that pansy-ass sneak attack, and I promise you it'll be ten times worse if you don't fuckin' let go of me right now."

Daryl yanked Merle upright and took another swing but Merle blocked it without much effort and drove his stump into Daryl's gut, leaving him sputtering for breath. "You telegraph yer punches, _Darylina_...always did," Merle rasped harshly into his ear. "No wonder you damn near got yerself beat to death when I left home. Now, you gonna tell me why you got your panties in a knot or..."

His temper surged hot again and before Merle could react, Daryl twisted around and smashed his elbow back into Merle's solar plexus. As Merle slumped forward, Daryl snapped his head backwards and briefly saw a flash of hot white stars as his skull connected with Merle's hard, bony chin.

As Merle dropped to his knees and then fell over onto his side, Daryl stumbled unsteadily forward and braced himself against the doorframe as he waited for his dizziness to clear. "Didn't see that one comin', did ya?" he croaked, gasping for air.

"Whassa fuck got inta ya?" Merle mumbled thickly, sounding genuinely puzzled as he cradled his injured jaw in his good hand.

'Daryl...enough! You don't need to do this!" Carol pleaded from the foot of the stairs as Maggie tried to hold her back. She looked frightened and pale, and the sight both tore at Daryl's heart and renewed his resolve to teach his brother a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.

"Keep outta this," Daryl warned her. The pain in his head and his simmering anger gave his words a crueller edge than he intended. "This is b'tween me an' him."

"Beth, go get Rick," ordered Maggie, her expression grim. "This is exactly what he was afraid of, Merle setting people at each another's throats..."

"NO!" Carol squeezed past Maggie and turned to stare down at her from the step above. The vehemence in Carols' voice froze Beth in her tracks, and both the Greene sisters looked shocked at her tone. "This is none of Rick's business, okay? It's a private matter, and has nothing at all to do with the group. Both of you, please… just go look after Judith and give us a few minutes here."

Maggie was clearly dubious, reaching out to grasp Carol's arm and try to lead her away. "Rick's not going to be happy when he hears about this, Carol..."

Carol took Maggie's hand and held it tightly in both of hers as she looked levelly into the other woman's eyes. "It's a family misunderstanding and nothing more. Rick is our leader, but that doesn't mean he has the right to interfere in everyone's affairs. Would you want him getting in the middle of what's happening with you and Glenn right now?"

Maggie shrank back, and Daryl saw her chin tremble slightly as she shook her head. "Fine. I'll leave it alone – for now. But if those two keep it up, the sound is gonna carry, someone else is going to hear and then there won't be anything you can do. You know that, right?"

"We've got it, trust me." Without another word, Carol turned and made her way up the stairs, and both Maggie and Beth quietly walked away. As pissed off as he was that Carol was refusing to listen to him, part of Daryl couldn't help but be proud of the way she'd stood up for herself. Long gone was the time when she'd meekly sit back and let others tell her what to do or think.

She gently but firmly pushed him back into the guard booth before trying to quietly close the door behind her. It swung a little unevenly on its pins, though, and she sighed with exasperation when she had to settle for letting it hang part-way open. "Are you okay?" she murmured as she turned, stroking Daryl's cheek and gazing worriedly into his eyes.

Her soft touch served to calm him down a bit and he nodded to reassure her. He grimaced as he did so, though, feeling a bit like his throbbing brain might squeeze out of his head if he wasn't careful. "Hadn't hardly got started when you came," he grumbled, gingerly touching the tender lump under his hair and wincing.

"Oh, don't mind me," coughed Merle, by now on his hands and knees and reaching for something solid so he could pull himself back to his feet. "Just 'cuz I was the one on the receivin' end of some kinda badass wake-up call..."

"Shut up!" Daryl barked, his hackles rising once more and his battered fists tightening again in anticipation. "You're damned lucky you didn't get worse after what you done!"

"And what, pray tell, was that?" Merle growled back menacingly, taking a step towards him. "I done lots of shit, you're gonna have to narrow it down for me!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Carol snapped, slipping between them and holding up her hands to keep them apart. "Reel them back in, both of you!"

Daryl grabbed Carol's elbow and pulled back her sleeve to expose her injury. "Take a good look, this ring any bells?! You damn near broke her wrist!"

Merle's gaze grew cold as he glanced at the painful-looking marks. "A little bruise, so what? Weren't half what the bitch deserved," he hissed, widening his stance in readiness for another attack.

"And I'll fuckin' make sure you get what _you_ deserve, you asswipe!" Daryl yelled, trying to reach around Carol so he could get his hands on Merle once more. Merle easily evaded Daryl's reach as he glowered at Carol with seething hatred.

"Daryl, you need to listen to me..." Carol pressed both hands insistently against his chest as she tried to intervene, but Daryl was too focused on making sure his brother paid what he owed Carol to give heed to what she was trying to say.

"She's gone and turned you against me!" Merle shot back, his voice gravelly and low. "You finally find someone willin' to pop that sad little cherry of yours, baby brother, and just like that, I don't count for shit! Don't what she told you, but..."

The humiliating rush of heat to his face served only to add fuel to Daryl's fury. "She didn't tell me _nothin'!_ But it don't exactly take a genius to figure out what kind of gutless wonder would take out his frustrations on a woman!"

"Well, that must be why _you_ picked up on it so quick," Merle snarked back, grinning scornfully. "Twice as impressive, really, since you been doin' your best thinkin' with your scrawny prick lately – kinda surprised you got enough blood left for your brain. You think I can't smell the sex on the both of you? Christ, world goes down the toilet and the two of you decide to literally screw away whatever time you got left..."

"Just STOP!" Carol screamed at them, her pale eyes flashing with anger. "Merle, do us all a favour and shut your damn mouth! And Daryl," she growled, pointing a finger in his face, "you are going to back off, stop talking and hear what I've been trying to tell you."

"But he..." Daryl protested, but her sharp look caused him to bite back the rest of what he was going to say. He shuffled back towards the door and let his hands drop to his sides, though he was ready to take Merle on once again at the first indication of trouble.

Merle snorted as he leaned back against the console, crossing his arms in front of him. "Whipped," he muttered under his breath in disgust, glaring defiantly at Carol when she narrowed her eyes at him.

She stepped in front of Daryl, making sure that she had his complete attention. "Listen," Carol said, her voice a tad softer than just a moment earlier. "Yes, Merle put these bruises here, but not before I threatened him. _I_ started it, do you understand? Not the smartest thing I ever did; I should have expected that he'd respond like that and maybe tried a different approach. But he managed to push my buttons and I just reacted without thinking. I'm not proud of myself but there it is."

Stunned into silence, Daryl could only stare down at her, his head hurting even worse as he tried to wrap his mind around what she was saying. "You threatened _him_? Why...what...?" he stammered. The thought of it would have bordered on comical if it hadn't ended up with her getting hurt.

Carol glanced back to where Merle sat with a familiar self-satisfied smirk on his face. "Your brother thinks that you would be better off without the rest of us; safer taking your chances on the road with him rather than staying here and waiting for the Governor's next attack. He told me that he might take steps to make that happen despite how you felt about it and I...objected...when he expressed his intentions."

"That's right," Merle piped up, pointing a finger accusingly at Carol. "You heard what she said! She's the one who pulled a knife on me, said she'd cut my throat while I slept if I tried to keep ya from gettin' killed! She's admitting it!"

Carol rolled her eyes. "That's not _exactly_ how the conversation went," she said wryly before turning her attention back to Daryl, smoothing her hands over his vest. "I knew it would hurt you, forcing you to leave against your will. You have the right to make your own decisions about where you want to be, but saying that, it makes me think now..."

She paused and shifted her gaze downwards, seeming suddenly miserable. "Think what?" Daryl asked quietly, covering her hand with his and ducking his head so she'd meet his eyes again. Her unexpected lack of certainty worried him.

Taking a deep, bracing breath, she gazed into his face again and he was alarmed to see sadness etched into her features. "That maybe he's not completely wrong – you might well have been better off not coming back here. What if caring about me turns out to be your death warrant?"

"Oh, Lord spare me!" groaned Merle, scrubbing his face with his hand and shaking his head woefully. "I've gone to hell and now I'm trapped in a fuckin' Harlequin romance!"

Daryl shot Merle a pointed look before pulling Carol as far aside as the tight space would allow. "We ain't goin' over this again," he murmured sternly, cupping her face and gently brushing away the single tear that had escaped from the corner of her eye. "Said all I plan on sayin' on the matter when we had ourselves some privacy. I'm where I wanna be, whatever's comin'. No regrets – we clear on that?"

Carol gave him a weak smile and nodded before slipping her arms around him and hugging him. "Why don't you go see how L'il Ass Kicker's makin' out?" he suggested, nuzzling her temple softly before planting a kiss there. "Lemme have a couple of words with Merle on my own."

She drew back and looked over at Merle, who was looking far less smug than he had before she'd revealed what had actually happened. "Are you sure? If things get out of hand between you, Rick's going to force him out."

"Oh, and that would just break your darlin' little heart, wouldn't it?" Merle spat snidely. "Yours an' everyone else's' in this godforsaken hell-hole."

Carol straightened her shoulders and turned to face Merle. "No, but it would be awful for Daryl if he lost you once more. If it's important to him to have you here, then it's important to me too. I don't want to see him hurt again."

That she was thinking of his happiness before her own wasn't a surprise, but it moved Daryl regardless, and his chest felt too small to hold the swell of emotions she stirred within him. "We'll be okay," he promised, wanting to get her out of the room in case Merle decided to unleash any more of his own special brand of nastiness. "Go on, we're just gonna talk."

She squeezed Daryl's hand once more before prying the door open just enough to slip through. He watched through the smudged windows until she'd descended the stairs and disappeared around the corner before he broke the uneasy silence.

"You ever touch her again, it ain't gonna end in a chat," he vowed gravely.

Merle shrugged indifferently. "Man's got a right to defend hisself. You heard her – I was the wronged party in all this."

"You coulda disarmed her without crushin' her wrist if you'd wanted," Daryl challenged, whirling around to glare Merle down. "Seen you do it lots of times with your druggie friends."

"Well, you got me there, Sherlock!" Merle said mockingly, clapping his hand against his thigh before reaching for his prosthetic limb. "Sure, I coulda. But she pissed me off, wavin' a pigsticker in my face and talkin' to me like I was no better than a shit-skid on a pair of jockey shorts. Hell, she's lucky she didn't get worse! It's a new world order, little brother – don't care who she thinks she is, ain't nobody gonna tell me what's what with my own kin."

"Her and me..." Daryl began, then stopped and shook his head. There was no point in trying to explain how it was between him and Carol – he didn't have the words to do it justice anyway. "Ne'er mind. What I do know is that Carol wouldn'ta drawn a blade if she didn't feel like she was in danger. She ain't like that. You musta done more than just talk about leavin' and takin' me with you."

Merle paused in strapping on his metallic arm, and gave single, bitter laugh. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh? You taking her side over mine...the brother you grew up with, the guy who stood up for you since before you could crawl, the one who kept you fed and clothed when no one else gave a damn. Suddenly, you forget all about me 'cuz you're so blinded by the sun shinin' outta her ass. So much for 'bros before hoes,' huh?"

Daryl rubbed at his eyelids with his fingers and sagged wearily against the window as the ache in his head worsened with his pounding heartbeat. "Man, why's it gotta be like that with you? It ain't a competition."

"No? Well, how is it that I feel like I'm gettin' the crap end of the stick? I'll admit, if I was gettin' m'self a little action during these cold, lonely nights, I might think twice about walkin' away too. But if you asked me to do it, I would...we are _blood," _Merle growled through bared teeth, his eyes glinting angrily as he jabbed a finger at Daryl**_. _**"That means more than..."

"I love her, okay?" Daryl shot back, his nerves fraying and his temper growing short again. "I ain't never had that before and I won't just let her go on your say-so. As shitty as this fuckin' world is now, why can't you just let me have this one good thing and be happy for me instead of bein' an asshole?!"

"'Cuz there's nothin' else for me here, don't you get that?" Merle hollered at him, punctuating his outburst with a slam of his fist against the counter. "What the hell good am I here? All that time at Woodbury, all I could think about was tryin' to find you, makin' sure you were safe and doin' what I could so you would stay that way! Turns out, I shouldn't have wasted my time, 'cuz you were doing just fine without me! Hell, it mighta been better for everyone if we'd never laid eyes on one another again!"

The words hit Daryl hard and he felt guilt rise in his chest; he'd ungraciously wondered the same thing when he'd witnessed Glenn and Maggie's reaction to Merle's return. "That ain't true," he answered solemnly. "That night in town when Glenn told me you were alive...bro, they only caught me 'cuz I hung back tryin' to find you so's I could take you out with me. Listen, Carol didn't take your place – no one could, and it ain't fair for you to try an' force me to choose b'tween the two of you. Understand this, though – if you ever lay a finger on her again, you'll have made that decision for me."

The tension in Merle's face eased and as his anger faded, Daryl could have sworn that his brother aged suddenly before his eyes. "Why her?" he grumbled resignedly. "What the hell is so special about this one?"

Daryl shrugged his shoulders even though the answer was clear as daylight in his mind. "If you knew her, you wouldn't hafta ask. Truth is, you got her to thank for the fact that I'm still breathin' – I woulda been lost without her this past year. She loved me all the way through the dark times, waited for me 'til I could love her back. However all this turns out in the end, I gotta be with her."

Merle snorted but Daryl saw the fleeting, sardonic smile that his brother tried to hide. "Touchin'. Y'all could start your own post-apocalyptic Hallmark store, brother. I'm sure there's a niche market there just waitin' to be tapped."

"Screw you," Daryl responded, a grin twitching at the corner of his mouth too. He grew serious again, though, as he met Merle's eyes across the tight space. "We good now?"

"Sure," Merle muttered, suddenly looking away. Daryl couldn't decide whether he was trying to avoid the sentimental turn of the conversation or if he was being evasive for some other reason. "You go find that ol' lady of yours, tell her she ain't got nothin' to worry about from me. Can't make any promises about our friend Philip, but maybe b'tween you an' me, we'll get that figured out too."

As they sat in silence, it occurred to Daryl that time and distance had altered their relationship permanently, and Merle was still struggling to come to terms with it. The days that Daryl went along unquestioningly with anything Merle said or did, though, were over gone. It was a change for the better, but Daryl could understand where Merle would feel as if he no longer had a role to play in his younger brother's life. Being alone was a scary prospect, and it was easier now to understand why Merle had lashed out like he had.

"We need you here, Merle" Daryl ventured as he turned slightly towards the door, torn between wanting to get back to Carol and making sure his brother didn't feel as though he'd been abandoned. "I need you. Now more than ever, with all that's goin' down."

Merle sucked in a fortifying breath and straightened up, seeming to throw off his melancholy as he stood. His eyes sparked with steely resolve, he set his jaw stubbornly and his mouth formed a tight line as he met Daryl's gaze once more. "Boy, you don't know the half of it."


End file.
